After the death of her mother Luna, Luzmi (Stephanie Hoston) decides to make a trip to her native Colombia—a country she left as a kid—to connect with her roots, visiting her Tia Alma (Bibiana Navas). Upon her arrival, she interacts with multiple people who show her a face of a country she didn’t know: An indigenous population fighting poverty, struggling with identity, and suffering the rapid loss of their megadiverse land due to aggressive deforestation.
Playwright Diana Burbano incorporates elements of magical realism to symbolize the hopes, challenges, and rich culture of those communities whose existence has been constantly endangered by the vicious march of imperialism. Burbano blends poetically the idyllic past, the painful present, and the uncertain future of Colombia’s biodiversity. Expressing that marvelous realism on stage, Director Elisa Bocanegra uses puppetry, costumes, and phantasmagorical characters to represent the natives’ beliefs and some of the fauna found in Colombia. The most significant one is el colibrí (hummingbird), quynza, majestic bird, messenger of the universe. It’s a metaphor representing the land and the hope of a better future.
The shaman and the ritual spreading Luna’s ashes further accentuates the beauty and mysticism of Colombia’s indigenous culture. The play contains multiple references to the Colombian landscape, not only of its luxuriant vegetation but its diverse human presence as well. The characters represent or reference El Choco, Guajira, Magütá, Nariño, and more. Luzmi is a vivid recount of Burbano and Bocanegra’s trip to Colombia to research for Nuestro Planeta, HERO Theatre and HERO Multimedia‘s initiative on environmental justice issues in Latin American countries.
One of the characters in the story is Claudia (Helena Betancourt), who used to work for the government and is now desperate to make money, even if that means to throw her own people under the bus. At one point, she says “I’m not a villain, I’m poor”, reflecting the great lengths some people are willing to go just to survive under those pressing circumstances. Another subplot is the romance between Luzmi and Carlos (Peter Mendoza, The Tempest). This relationship is not just to soften the subject matter; it’s also a symbol of the connection taking shape between Luzmi and her native land, a crucial step to discover her roots and find the healing, physical and spiritual, she desperately needs.
For this production, Bocanegra uses minimal set props, the focus is mainly in the story. The more elaborate elements are the costumes and the puppets. The acting needs improvement, as it seems amateurish and rushed at times. A little bit of tweaks here and there could elevate the acting to match the excellence of the script; the talent is already there.
Luzmi brings attention to the fact that the delicate relationship between humans and nature is hanging by a thread. In one of the scenes of the climax, Luzmi, El Profe, and Carlos form a common front to challenge the deforesters. Will the three of them emerge victorious, or will their attempt be just another Macondo?
Luzmi
The Rosenthal Theater at Inner-City Arts
720 Kohler Street, Los Angeles, CA 90021
October 3rd to October 27th
Tickets: herotheatre.org
Written by Diana Burbano. Devised and directed by Elisa Bocanegra.
Cast: Helena Betancourt, Stephanie Hoston, Julián Juaquín, Emanuel Loarca, Peter Mendoza, Bibiana Navas, Adrian Quinonez, and Carla Valentine.
Creative team: Maggie Dick (Costume Design), Willow Edge (Sound Design), Marvin Hidalgo (Costume Assistant), Jesus Hurtado (Scenic and Projections Design), Andrés
Felipe Jiménez (Cinematographer), Alejandro Montoya (Composer & Colombian Music
Consultation), Osiris Galvez Paredes (Props Design), Beth Peterson (Puppet Design), and Gabe Rodriguez (Lighting Design).
